Cessna 177B accident near Fullerton, California, April 26, 2002
On April 26, 2002 at about 12:53 pm local time, a Cessna 177B, registered N177DP, was destroyed in an accident near Fullerton, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power during cruise flight resulting from oil exhaustion. The oil exhaustion resulted from deterioration and total failure of the oil filter converter plate gasket, which had not been replaced due to maintenance personnel's failure to comply with an airworthiness directive.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 2002 · about 12:53 pm local time
- Place
- Fullerton, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B · all 177Bs on the register
- Registration
- N177DP · registry record · serial 17702364
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, the airplane's engine seized and the pilot made a forced landing. During the landing flare over a baseball field, the airplane collided with poles and came to rest partially inverted. The airplane had been operated about 188 hours since last receiving an annual inspection on April 5, 2001, approximately 1 calendar year prior to the accident. Upon completion of the 2001 inspection, repair station personnel, who maintained the airplane for the pilot-owner, reported in the airplane's maintenance logbook that (emergency) airworthiness directive (AD) number 2000-18-53 was not applicable. This was an error. The repair station failed to note that the AD was pertinent to the oil filter converter plate gasket it had installed in the airplane's engine, and it should have so indicated by making an appropriate maintenance logbook entry. Compliance with the AD required, in part, that the gasket be replaced on a recurring 50-hour basis. The FAA indicated that gasket replacement was warranted because "...protruding or swelling of the gasket allows oil to leak from between the plate and the accessory housing. This condition, if not corrected, could result in complete loss of engine oil and subsequent seizing of the engine...." During the Safety Board investigator's examination of the airplane, only 8 ounces of oil were found in the 8-quart capacity oil sump, and the bottom of the airplane was oil soaked. The oil leak originated from a breach in the oil converter plate gasket. A 3/4-inch-long section of the gasket material was observed protruding from between the plate and the accessory housing. The engine's seizure was attributed to the loss of engine oil emanating from the extruded converter plate gasket, resulting in lubricating deprivation to the internal reciprocating components.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 3,050 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 30, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,204 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 2001; 188 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AJO Corona CA at 12:40 pm
- Destination: HHR Hawthorne CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from FUL, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX02FA144.